Many will agree with us on the fact that Triumph’s Street Triple is suitable for all kinds of riding activities, but we’re surprised to see it can look good as a flat-tracker as well. The Triumph Street Triple Tracker was built by German dealer Motorcorner and the bike they started from was actually an R version.
As hard as it may be to believe, changes were minimal. The engine is unchanged (but does get an aftermarket exhaust for a racy sound) and so is the chassis apart from the 17” spoked wheels.
Who would have thought that a white/gold paintjob and a pair of aluminum rims would transform Triumph’s middleweight roadster into a veritable flat-track racer? This project follows Motorcorner’s 2009 Bonneville-based street tracker. Hope this turns into a tradition.
Monster Yamaha Tech3 riders Colin Edwards and Ben Spies got into a MotoGP chitchat for BBC Sport ahead of next weekend’s Mugello race. They actually tried to make it look like an interview in which the experienced rider, Edwards, questions the newcomer, Spies, about the world of MotoGP, but the Texans actually end up talking about cowboy hats and hot sauce. See what more in the video after the jump.
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Fiat Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo imposed himself as the clear winner at the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France. The Spanish was followed by teammate Valentino Rossi, while Andrea Dovizioso had to fight his way on the third position of the podium. All in all, the race was a total success for Lorenzo, who now leads with a 9 points difference the MotoGP World Championship. Please read the race results after the jump.
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Oil is slippery; that much we know. And while its pretty dangerous to be riding motorcycles on a patch of road that’s been spilled with oil, the danger becomes much more magnified when you’re in a pretty intense motorcycle race, as was the case during a recent Moto2 race at Jerez.
The incident started when two racers - Shoya Tomizawa and Simone Corsi - got tangled up with both riders losing control of their motorcycles, which spilled a pretty significant amount of crankcase oil onto the track. The resulting spill caused a number of riders behind the two to ride straight into the patch of oil where, naturally, they all ended up sliding helplessly as well.
If there was any good that came out of this domino-like slip and slide, it’s that everybody came out of it relatively unscathed with the Moto2 marshalls also doing the prudent thing by red-flagging the entire race, which, incidentally, still had 25 laps to go.
Check out the video of the incident courtesy of the Daily Motion.
The friends at MrHornig have come up with a rather unusual motorcycle vs car comparison as the challenger is the 2010 BMW S1000RR superbike and the challenged a 2008 BMW M3 E92. Considering that the S1000RR benefits of 193 horsepower while weighing 183kg and the M3 is a 420 horsepower blast weighing 1.655kg, we invite you to do the math for the power-to-weight ratio or, even better, check out the video and see which one is faster in a straight line.
With the occasion of Max Biaggi’s double win at the Monza WSBK round in Italy, Aprilia took the wraps off their all-new racing replica RSV4 superbike. The bike is destined for the racing track and can be used as an entry-level WSBK race machine as it offers a heck more performance over the production street version and also meets FIM regulations.
Claiming 200bhp and 92lb/ft of torque (that’s an impressive 20bhp and 7.4lb/ft over the production RSV4) from the 65-degree V4 motor, Aprilia sure seems to have done their homework when creating this proper Ducati Desmosedici RR competitor. But it is the ingenious stuff that makes the difference and in the case of the RSV4 Max Biaggi Replica this consists into: a six gear transmission with a multi-disk oil bath clutch with a mechanical anti-skipping system, ride-by-wire throttle control system, QuickShift assisted shifting, an Akrapovich 4-2-1 titanium exhaust and carbon fiber fairing.
All in all, the bike weighs in at 385.8 lbs (dry), which is definitely an achievement over the standard version’s 405.6 lbs. Still, we also have to mention the Ohlins suspension, Brembo brakes and Marchesini forged magnesium alloy wheels before hitting you with the price - 50,000 euros (US$64,142). The clearly exclusive bike is available in Biaggi’s Alitalia Aprilia livery or bare carbon.
Gigi Dall’lgna, technical and sport manager of Aprilia Racing says:
“With the RSV4 Biaggi Replica we offer the sports enthusiast a motorcycle which is as close as you can get to the RSV4 that Max rides on the track in World Superbike. In this project, which was developed in parallel to our re-entry into SBK, we poured out all of our knowledge and years of experience on tracks all over the world. This is the bike which came out of it, conceived and developed within Aprilia Racing to offer unique sensations to the shrewd user.”
Alex de Angelis was warming up for the Moto2 race at Jerez a couple of weekends back when his bike engaged into a highside, sending him rolling end-over-end on the side of the track. From what this leaked video shows, you’ll have all the reasons to think that de Angelis couldn’t have survived this and we totally agree, except he did. The RSM Team Scot rider even managed to walk away unharmed from his incredible crash and was willing, but not allowed by circuit doctors to participate in the race. Video after the jump.
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Jorge Lorenzo won the Spanish Grand Prix after a spectacular duel with Dani Pedrosa in the final lap of the Jerez MotoGP. Teammate Valentino Rossi was the third to pass the finish line.
Honda rider Dani Pedrosa set off from pole-position and pretty much dominated the Jerez race until, with six laps before the checker flag, Jorge Lorenzo came strong from behind and finally claimed the first place on the podium during the race’s final lap. Read the race results after the jump.
There is nothing like the nitro sucking, make your ears bleed sound of two Harley-Davidsons leaving the line to get your adrenaline pumping. In "Harley-Davidson Drag Racing" Scooter Grubb – who has been shooting the AHDRA for about 10 years – uses over 300 color photos and 144 pages to capture that same raw energy of unleashed V-twin power. From your neighbor’s Sportster to the Top Fuel machines, the bikes are all here.
Each chapter describes one of sixteen classes, with pictures of the bikes and an explanation of the rules that make that class unique. Sidebars scattered throughout the book take the action inside the pits. Meet the riders capable of turning a 6 second quarter mile, the mechanics that keep it all running at 200 miles per hour, and the track officials who make each event possible.
With an abundance of color photos, Harley-Davidson Drag Racing is a visual feast. Whether you just want to drink in the action or learn more about the bikes and the classes, this book is sure to satisfy that need for speed.
We just came across an interesting post on the triumph675 forum about the anatomy of a highside described by the author of the crash himself. Apparently, the rider was trying a new approach for Turn 9 of the Chuckwalla Valley Raceway and the tricky section of the track combined with a bit of dust turned out disastrous for the Suzuki SV650, while the rider walked away with nothing but a hurt pride.
The bike, which was recently fitted with new bodywork and paint, is now $3K away from another track day. Better luck next time!
